The core mission of the Vilnius GreenTech Forum is to bring together responsible leaders from business, politics, and society to advance a model of green progress that sustainably reduces dependence on oil products and, in turn, the threat posed by Russia’s wars financed by oil billions. The forum seeks to strengthen democratic economies, foster innovation-driven businesses, and improve citizens’ long-term well-being, helping replace a world shaped by oil dependency and oil-funded wars with one that is not only greener, but also far more advanced and secure.

Why is the Vilnius GreenTech Forum so important? First and foremost, we call on leaders in business, politics, and society to acknowledge a difficult reality: for the fifth consecutive year, Russia’s war against Ukraine continues to be financed in part by the hundreds of billions of euros and US dollars the Russian regime would never have received if the green transition of democratic nations had been more successful, responsible, and principled. If more decisive action had been taken to reduce fossil fuel dependence while simultaneously strengthening the economic, technological, and business potential of democracies, the situation today could look very different. 

As we have written many times in magazine VALSTYBĖ, the democratic world remained trapped between appeasing Russia through the purchase of its oil and gas “in the name of peace with Moscow” and the interests of major capital groups, some aligned with the same system, seeking to absorb funds allocated for the green transition in ways that benefited themselves more than the long-term reduction of fossil fuel consumption. As a result, we are facing a reality that defies common sense: while democracies have consistently declared their support for Ukraine, from Russia’s first invasion in 2014 through 2026, Russia’s revenues from oil and gas exports to democratic countries have exceeded, many times over, the total support provided by democracies to Ukraine in its fight for a secure democratic future. 

We are convinced that the Russian regime’s fossil fuel revenues from democratic nations also exceeded what it would have earned had democratic green progress been more effective and strategically focused on reducing long-term fossil fuel dependence. Unfortunately, such policies were not pursued consistently. Since the beginning of Russia’s war against Ukraine in 2014, consumption of oil and petroleum products in several democratic countries, including Lithuania, which itself could become a future Russian target, has significantly increased, even as investments in green progress have grown substantially.

We answered this question 20 years ago, when we first launched the Vilnius GreenTech Forum. From the very beginning, we emphasized that destructive forces, primarily linked to Russia, profit-driven capital groups, and the interests serving them, would do everything possible to ensure that green progress benefits them most, instead of reducing fossil fuel dependence, strengthening democracies, improving citizens’ well-being, and securing a safe and peaceful future. We dedicated ourselves to resisting these destructive forces and uniting leaders across society around clear and practical goals aimed at safeguarding the future of democracies. For example, we consistently advocated replacing Russian gas supplied by Gazprom in the heating sector with locally sourced biofuel, and substituting electricity imported from the Russian energy giant Inter RAO with electricity generated from domestic renewable energy sources.

Today, Lithuania is among the leaders in these areas within the European Union and globally. Yet this progress could have been even more significant, not only in Lithuania but across the democratic world. Unfortunately, destructive forces acted with tremendous influence, using their capital and networks to shape the information space, politics, and public opinion. While presenting themselves as advocates of sustainability, social responsibility, and green progress, they promoted solutions that primarily served their own interests, diverting attention away from policies most beneficial to the state and society, while deliberately overshadowing and marginalizing organizations and missions such as ours. This is precisely why it proved so difficult to mobilize democratic forces against these destructive interests and to create an information environment capable of supporting rapid and meaningful progress.

Although we are convinced that our efforts helped reduce Russia’s fossil fuel revenues, revenues that could otherwise have been used to wage war in Ukraine, by billions, it is still painful to recognize that if democratic forces in business, politics, and society had been more courageous and united, those revenues could have been reduced by tens or even hundreds of billions. In that case, fewer lives might have been lost, fewer cities destroyed, and perhaps Russia would not even have had the financial capacity to launch the current war.

Let us not allow history to repeat itself. Let us stand united. We must not allow green progress to be compromised or diverted into paths that serve Russia and cynical capital interests, paving a road built on oil billions from the war still raging in Ukraine toward new and potentially even greater conflicts. We are convinced that this is the most important task before us today, and we will succeed only if we stand together in defending progress in every democracy, especially those on Russia’s border.

We invite you to participate in the 2026 Vilnius GreenTech Forum, collaborate with us, or support the forum’s key objectives:

• to unite forward-thinking forces in business, science, and politics that are guided by democratic values; to encourage dialogue and identify solutions that most effectively reduce fossil fuel dependence while strengthening the economic potential of democracies; and to prevent destructive interests from sabotaging these solutions or replacing them with alternatives less beneficial to a secure democratic future;
• to purposefully use the forum’s communication and public campaign to educate and mobilize not only decision-makers, but also citizens, helping society understand how wise and determined green transformation, focused on reducing oil dependence, directly impacts public well-being and security. In doing so, we aim to create an environment supportive of progress and necessary for implementing meaningful change;
• to strengthen awareness within the business community that if destructive and self-serving capital groups are capable of uniting to exploit the green transition for their own interests, and at times even for the benefit of the Russian regime, then progressive business leaders should unite as well. Not to hide behind the language of sustainability, but to genuinely support a form of green progress that helps build a peaceful future. This mission itself is part of that effort.

In the near future, we plan to announce the initial list of the forum’s key topics to spread as widely as possible the vision of the progress we must pursue. However, the strength of the forum’s content and the scale of its positive impact on green progress in Lithuania and other democracies will depend first and foremost on your decision whether to stand together with us.

If you choose to do so, you can contribute in the following ways:

• by purchasing an invitation to the upcoming Vilnius GreenTech Forum directly on this page. This is the simplest, yet highly important, way to support our mission;
• by becoming a content partner and/or sponsor of the forum. Please contact us using the details provided and share your ideas on how you could contribute to the forum’s content or support its mission;
• by providing direct support to the non-profit organization Democracy Development Fund, the organizer of the forum, with contributions dedicated to advancing the forum’s mission (organization details are available at the bottom of the main page).

We sincerely thank you in advance for your support and cooperation, especially those organizations and leaders who have already supported the mission of the Vilnius GreenTech Forum, some of them more than once. It is thanks to your support that we have been able to fight for green progress and today continue contributing to the creation of a safer future. Thank you.

Sincerely,

Eduardas Eigirdas

Initiator of the Vilnius GreenTech Forum

Founder and editor of magazine VALSTYBĖ

Founder of the Democracy Development Fund